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DISCOVERT 



NEW-MGLAND 

BY THE NORTHMEN 

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS BEEORE COLUMBUS; 

WITH AN INTRODUCTION 



ANTIQUITIES OF AMERICA AND ON THE PIRST INHABITANTS 
OF CENTRAL AMERICA; 



WITH IMPORTANT ADDITIONS. 



iio 



A LECTURE, 



DELIVERED IN NEW- YORK, WASHINGTON, BOSTON, AND OTHER 

CITIES ; ALSO, IN SOME OF THE FIRST LITERARY 

INSTITUTIONS OF THE UNION. 

BY A. DAVIS, 

Corresponding Member of New- York Historical Society, and 
formerhj Chaplain of the Senate, etc., New- York. 

THIRTEENTH EDITION, FROM TWELFTH BOSTON EDITION. 



TROY, N. Y.: 

FROM THE PRESS OF N. TUTTLE, CCXV, RIVER-STREET, 

1845. 



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TO THE PUBLIC. 



The generous patronage received for the delivery of the folloM^ing Lecture leads to its 
publication. Though faint the ray of knowledge it may impart, yet I trust it will be 
seen, and its benefits rewarded, while exhibited in a different medium. 

The circulation of twelve editions shows that this hope of success has not been disap- 
pointed. 

Together with original matter, the Lecture is a compilation from various important 
works. Facts have been obtained from the first libraries in Boston, Worcester, Phila- 
delphia, Washington and Georgetown. 

The continued encouragement received from sources like the following, from the dis- 
tinguished Ornithologist, the pride and glory of both continents, encourages me in issumg 
another edition : 



Buffalo, N. Y., August 1, 1844. 

I have read the " Antiquities of Central America and the discovery of New-England 
by the Northmen five hundred years before Columbus," by A. Davis, Esq., with extreme 
pleasure and satisfaction ; and 1 feel much indebted to that learned gentleman for all that 
he has said on this most interesting subject, in his memorable Lecture, above mentioned, 
and I trust that it will be as highly appreciated by all who may peruse it as by myself 

I take this opportunity to oflTer to Mr. Davis my sincere thanks for his goodness to me , 
and have great pleasure in subscribing myself his friend and respectful humble servant. 

JOHN J. AUDUBON. 

To A. Davis, foemerly CiiAPLAm of the Senate, &c., N. Y. 



INTRODUCTION. 



ANTiaUITIES OF AMERICA. 



While the beauties of the visible creation fade on the eye — while all 
nature reposes under the mantle of night, it is pleasant to leave the haunts 
of business for the lecture-room, and to survey remote periods under the 
light of history. 

The active mind of man instinctively surveys the dark regions of the 
past, and would gladly break the unfathomable silence of the nations of the 
dead, and raise the veil where their beauty and glory have slept for ages. 
This strong desire to learn something of those who lived when time was 
young, leads the antiquary, too often, to adopt groundless theories. But 
if there are counterfeit antiquities, there are those also, that are genuine. 
The present is an age peculiar for developing the latter. 

That America was peopled by those in advance of the savage state, long 
before any authentic accounts are given of settlements, is manifest from 
nameless monuments of antiquity, found in various parts. 

It will be recollected that the avaricious Spaniards discovered and con- 
quered Mexico on the North, and Peru and Chili on the South of Central 
America, in the first place. But, at length, the solitude of the latter was 
broken; and there was discovered the "El Dorado," about which the 
whole Spanish nation had so long been dreaming, 

The appearance of these ruins shows that a nation once existed there, 
highly skilled in the mechanic arts, and in a state of civilization far beyond 
any thing that we have been led to believe of the aborigines, previous to the 
time of Columbus. 

The Antiquities of America were left in succession by nations more or 
less enlightened : as the Ruins of Central America, of Mexico and Peru, 
and of regions farther south. 

The first knowledge of the P^uins of Central America was derived from 
accounts given by straggling hunters. In 1787, the Spanish government 
sent out Del Rio to survey the ruins. Waldeck, in 1822, published an ac- 
count of Rio's discoveries. 

Capt. Dupaix was sent on a mission to Central America, in 1805. Lord 
Kingsborough gave an accountofDupaix's discoveries. William H. Pres- 
cott, Esq., of Boston, has the work of Lord K. It is as splendid as it is 
expensive ; and it presents very beautiful and striking monuments of anti- 
quity. 

Waldeck visited the South in 1832. Among the hieroglyphics he thinks 
he has decyphered an account of the reign of elevei>queens. 



4 A LECTURE ON THE 

The late Gov. Gallndo, of Peten, in Central America, has corresponded 
with the late Lieut. Gov. Winthrop, Boston, relative to the antiquities of 
that region. For the great discoveries made, he has received a premium 
from one of the literary societies of Europe. 

He, in speaking of one of the cities in the vicinity of Palenque, says that 
a gigantic Massica, or bread-fruit tree, grows on one of the altars, encirc- 
ling it with its powerful roots. The most remarkable trees growing over 
the ruins, are, the Mahogany, Cedar, Chocolate, &c. One of the squares of 
the city is surrounded with six handsome obelisks, the highest of which is 
more than six yards high. They all bear, in basso relievo, gigantic fig- 
ures. One temple has eighty such figures. 

The temple of Copan was 653 feet by 524 feet in dimensions. It must 
have been as large as St. Peter's Church in Rome. Let us gaze on this 
mighty structure, for our instruction. It stands as a landmark on the broad 
field of time — it reminds us of the remote origin of a great empire. Cen- 
turies must have rolled away — dynasties must have succeeded each other, 
before orders of architecture were introduced ; and a long time must have 
elapsed before an empire would become so luxurious as to erect the stupen- 
dous temple of Copan. 

Among the vast pile of ruins, is found an architrave of black granite, 
finely cut. Six granite columns are seen, each of a single piece, seven- 
teen feet high and three feet in diameter. 

The Mayon architecture in Yucatan is said to be superior to that of Pa- 
lenque. It is wrought in stone, and finished with great elegance. 

Gen. Santa Anna says, that the antiquities of Central America are wor- 
thy of being placed in parallel with the pyramids of Egypt. 

Palenque, which lies 240 miles from Tobasco. lat. 17° N., is among the 
most remarkable cities of the South. Palenque is a Caslilian word, and 
means "lists for fighting." 

This city has emphatically been called the Thebes of America. In 
surveying its ruins, the traveler is led to believe that it was founded at as 
early a period as the renowned cities of Egypt. 

How immense this city ! It is supposed to have been sixty miles in 
circumference, and that it contained a population of nearly three millions. 

Palenque, lying about one thousand miles from Mexico, and being ele- 
vated five thousand feet above the ocean, enjoyed a climate almost un- 
equalled for its pleasantness. The natural beauty of the scenery was un- 
rivalled, the soil rich and fertile beyond any other portion of the globe. 

One of the principal structures revealed to the eye of the antequarian, is 
the Teoculi, or temple. Its style of architecture resembles the Gothic. 
It is rude, massive, and durable. Though resembling the Egyptian edi- 
fices, also, yet this and the other buildings are peculiar, and are different 
from all others hitherto known. 

The entrance to this temple is on the east side, by a portico more than 
one hundred feetin length, and nine broad. The rectangular pillars of the 
portico have their architraves adorned with stucco work of shields and 
other devices. The temple stai:ids on an elavation of sixty feet. Among 
the ruins, different objects of worship have been found ; and, in particular, 
an idol of pure gold, about six inches long. Amid this wilderness of ruins 
are now to be seen fourteen large stone buildings, with many of their 
apartments in good condition. 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. O 

The antiquity of this city is manifest, not only from its nameless hiero- 
glyhics and other objects, but from the age of some of the trees growing 
over buildings where once the hum of industry and the voice of merriment 
were heard. The concentric circles of some of these trees were counted, 
which showed that they were more than 900 years of age. 

Similiar beautiful and majestic ruins to those named above, are found 
along the coast of California. Humboldt visited a splendid building, 800 
miles from Mexico, that forty years since was seven stories high. The 
Spaniards have demolished it mostly, to get materials for building dwellings 
and sugar-houses. Have not the Vandals of the New World m.ade deso- 
lation more desolate? 

Mr. Stephens' new work on "Central America," confirms the state- 
ments of other travelers, while it heightens our wonder by the graphic de- 
scription of the ruins of the desolate cities, especially of those found in Co- 
pan and Palenque. There, he says, " architecture, sculpture, painting, 
and all the arts that embellish life, had flourished in an overgrown forest." 

Among the specimens of the arts, he found massive obelisks, bearing on 
their sides sculptured images and medalHon tablets — large altars.ornamen- 
ted with hieroglyphics, giving a record of those who reared them — splendid 
temples adorned with human figures, executed in stucco and bas-relief — 
walls built of hewn stone. The specimens of sculpture equalled any thing 
he saw in Egypt. 

In his second work he says, " These ruins are skeletons rising from 
their graves, wrapped in their shrouds, claiming no affinity with the works 
of any known people." Long will these works of art stand alone in majes- 
ty and beauty, 

" And gorgeous as the sun at midsummer." 

The Chevalier Frederichal, attache of the Austrian legation, lately spent 
nine months at the South. He found, in a place hitherto untrod by mo- 
dern travelers, a majestic group of pillars. Tiiere were ten rows, and in 
each row there were forty-eight columns. With his daguerreotype appa- 
ratus, betook a great number of excellent impressions. From these, when 
magnified, he has made drawings, which show the original, by their rich- 
ness, elegance and finish, to be the work of a highly cultivated people. 
It is natural that we should linger around these inanimate objects. They 
remind us of splendid cities that, like Troy, once " were." But, above 
all, they tell us of the illustrious of other days. What are ruins to us, but 
as they remind us of the enterprise and wisdom of those who reared them? 
What were Carthage without the recollection of ill-fated Dido, or the da- 
ring deeds of Hannibal ? And what will Mount Vernon be centuries hence, 
but as it will remind our posterity of the valor, patriotism and virtues of 
the Father of our Republic ? 

The monumental history of Central America tells us that this is not a 
new world. And we wake with astonishment, that there was once the seat 
of a great empire, before David reigned over the twelve tribes of Israel, or 
Octavious waved his sceptre over the civilized v/orld ! 

But, alas ! the founders of cities as magnificent as those that adorned 
the banks of the Nile, have'Vanished like the generations before the flood. 

"Every house is builded by some man ;" but who erected the splendid 
temples of Palenque, none can tell, save " He who made all things." Un- 



6 



A LECTURE ON THE 



numbered centuries have passed away since the noonday of Palencian glo. 
ry. There the wing of endless night broods over all tliat v/as once beau, 
tirul and grand — 

" Where senates once the weal of nations planned, 
Plisseth the gliding snake, through hoaiy weeds 
That clasp the mouldering columns." 

I have seen an original representation, in stucco, of the following Palen- 
cian head, possibly a representation of their gods, in the possession of Pro- 
fessor Dod, Princeton College : 



Shade of Spurz- 
heim, tell, if thou 
canst, what quali- 
ties such a formed 
head as this, im- 
plies. 




This helmet is 
said to resemble 
those described by 
Homer. 



Oh ! that some mighty genius like that of Belzoni, would arise and re- 
move, from this city of the world called neic, the veil that conceals its or- 
igin. 

It is supposed that this city was destroyed by some internal convulsion, 
or, like those of the South of Europe, was overwhelmed by the barbarians 
of the North. • 

Possibly, famine or pestilence miglit have desolated that fair region. 

It is not singular tliat it should have been concealed from view for ages, 
when we recollect that cities of the Eastern continent have, in like manner, 
remained in oblivion till of late. We allude to the ruins of Peestum, in 
Campania, of Italy, and those of Petra of Idurnea, in Asia. A new forest 
hid for centuries — the former from the degenerate sons of Rome, while the 
splendid structures of Petra were known only to Bedouins for over a thou- 
jsand years. Who does not delight to read about the roses of Pa3stum ! 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. / 

Yet they still unfold their inimitable petals amid the ruins of palaces, and 
beside dilapidated temples. 

Do we admire the boundless forests, the lofty mountains, and the majes- 
tic rivers of our hemisphere? The vast wilderness of ruins, once enliven- 
ed by intelligent beings, should demand a higher claim to our admiration. 

The antiquities of America stretch from the great lakes of the North 
and West, to Central America and the Southern parts of Peru on the 
South ; from the Alleghany mountains on the East, to the Rocky moun- 
tains on the West ; and even from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean. 

The Mexicans hold the next place on the scale of civiHzation to the Cen- 
tral Americans. 

The Toltecs probably cam.e into Anahauc, or the vale of Mexico, at the 
close of the seventh century. They flourished four centuries, and sudden- 
ly disappeared. They were an enlightened and amiable people. Though 
pagans, they did not, like the Aztecs, who took possession of the country 
in 1325, offer up human sacrifices. 

Although the Aztecs, or Mexicans, excelled in astronomy, architecture, 
the fine arts, agriculture, legislation, jurisprudence, and the display of ma- 
ny of those social virtues that dignify humanity, yet their theology cast a 
dark shade over all the attractions their history otherwise displays. 

They believed in one Supreme God, in thirteen subordinate deities, and 
in over two hundred inferior ones. The god who received most devo- 
tion was Mars, their god of war. On his altar human victims bled. To 
this Moloch of the West twenty thousand victims at least were offered an- 
nually ! The Aztecs were cannibals. Such is man where he sees not the 
attributes of God in the " things that are made." Yes, all nature is but the 
reflection of the True God. The modest violet, fresh from the sleep of 
winter, tells him there is a God, and that He is great and good. (See Rom. 
1. 20.) Nought but the bright beams of the "Sun of Righteousness" can 
dissipate the darkness with which man has enshrouded his moral nature. 

Remarkable was the progress of the Mexicans in the science of Astro- 
nomy. Their year was divided into eighteen months of twenty days each, 
and five unlucky days. As the year is composed of nearly six hours more 
than three hundred and sixty-five days, there still remained an excess, 
which they provided for intercalation. At the expiration of fifty-two 
years, the end of a cycle, they interposed twelve and a half days, the 
number which had fallen in arrear. Time was marked on their calendar 
stones with as much accuracy as is evinced by the modern improvements 
of astronomy into two minutes and nine seconds in the year. I have seen 
in the Museum of Mexican Antiquities, belonging the Philosophical Society, 
Philadelphia, a beautiful representation of the large calendar stone to be 
seen in the city of Mexico. 

How magnificent must have been that temple in Mexico, at whose al- 
tars five thousand priests ofiiciated ! But the city of Tezcuco, on the op- 
posite shore of the lake, was still the seat of a higher advance in civiliza- 
tion than was displayed in Mexico. It was the capital of a splendid king- 
dom of the same name. It was the Athens of the Western World. The 
king erected a magnificient pile of buildings. It extended from east to 
west 1234 yards, and from north to south 978. Innumerable were the at- 
tractions that met the eye on wandering through the courts of this majestic 
structure. 

As walls incrusted with alabasters and richly tinted stucco, tapestries of 



8 A LECTURE ON THE 

variegated feather work, gardens with baths, and sparkling fountains over- 
shadowed by groves of cypress and cedar. 

Much has been learned in relation to Mexican history, but much must 
remain forever concealed, as the first Archbishop of Mexico caused a 
mountainous pile to be made of the MSS. of that country and ordered 
them to be burnt in the market place. Such was the loss effected by the 
Omar of the West. 

We know less of the antiquities of Peru than of those further north. 
Those that have been recorded show a people far advanced in civilization. 

The antiquities of North America consist of Fortifications, Mounds, Pot- 
tery, Metalic Instruments, &c. They must have been left by intelligent 
nations at an early period. This is evident from the remark of the late 
President Harrison. He observes, that it would take the trees growing 
where a forest was cut down fifty years since, five hundred years to equal 
in height the surrounding woods, and that a forest of the largest trees at 
the mouth of the Great Miami, consisting of fifteen acres, covers the ruins 
left by former races. 

First Inhabitants of America. — We will not say, as the Athenians 
said of their nation, that the first inhabitants of America were created when 
the sun was first lit up in the sky; but we must presume they early reach- 
ed this continent from the old world. 

The learned Dr. Clarke says, that the continents were once united; but 
that, by the force of winds and waves, the isthmuses were broken up and 
formed into islands along the coasts. Easy, however, is the transition from 
the East to the West, by the way of Bhering's straits, when we consider 
that they are only thirteen leagues wide. 

Adverse winds, also, might have driven the frail vessels of the ancients 
to the region lying on the gulf of Mexico, and elsewhere. 

But, as tropical animals found in America could not have crossed over 
by Bhering's straits, when frozen, they must have come by land that once 
extended from Asia or Africa to America, in the torrid zone. Should it be 
asked why certain animals, as the horse and the cow, not found originally 
on this continent, did not cross by this continuous range of lands, we answer, 
because the original continent was divided, as possibly in the days of Pe- 
leg, {Gen. 10, 25,) before such animals had an opportunity to migrate. 

I am inclined to believe that (he land that united the now two continents, 
was the Atlantis spoken of by Plato, Homer, and Flesiod. Plato saw an ac- 
count of this land which disappeared, in the hieroglyphics of Egypt. I 
saw in the Jesuit's College, Georgetown, an important article on this sub- 
ject. It was stated that there were the remains of a sunken tract of land 
once lying between Brazil and Africa — that such are seen also in the islands 
of Cape Verd and Ascension, and others — and in the numerous sandbanks 
observed by Bauche in particular, who sounded that part of the Atlantic 
with great accuracy. 

I think from the plains of Shinar, men and animals diverged in all di- 
rections. As it is said in Gen. 11, 8, " So the Lord scattered them from 
thence upon the face of all the earth." 

As the Europeans on coming here found no animals peculiar to the East- 
ern Continent, I think only a part of the various species preserved by Noah 
migrated West. Those left behind ever remained different from those found 
in the New World by the Spaniards. If this idea is new to others, I hope 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 9 

it may be considered more reasonable than the infidel opinion, that men 
and animals were distinct creations here from those of Asia. 

Think you they would have transported venomous serpents from the old 
to the new world ? 

Ogilby, Cosmograplier to the Enghsh sovereign, 1671, thinks that men 
and animals came, immediately after the flood, from Armenia to Tartary ; 
and from the latter place to this continent, by a continuous range of land 
extending from Asia to America by Bhering's' straits. 

I think with Georgii Hornii, who published his views, 1629, in a Latin 
book, that this migration to this continent took place immediately after the 
confusion of tongues at Babel. 

By this primitive people, the cities of the South rose probably simul- 
taneously with those that adorned the banks of the Nile.' 

The traces of an extinct race of men about nine feet in length, are to be 
found in various parts, as in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, 
and New-York. 

And is it strange it should have been said in the Sacred volume — "And 
there were giants in those days ?" 

The lights of science and revelation commingle, forming one broad stream 
of light, that is not lost but amid the radiance that encircles the throne of 
the Eternal. 

The eyes of mankind, from the time of Pythagoras, have been turned to 
the West, in anticipation that here new discoveries were to be made ; and 
hither were the adventurous at length led. 

It is possible that the Northmen, as well as those of earlier times, had 
heard of a Western world. 

Seneca, Diodorus Siculus, and Aristotle, speak of regions beyond the 
Atlantic. Plato says he saw an account in the hieroglyphics of Egypt, of 
a large tract of land, Atlantis, that once lay West of the straits of Gibraltar. 

It is thought Virgil alludes, in the following lines, to places West. In 
speaking of Augustus, he says that — 

" He shall his power to India extend, 
Beyond the annual circle, add beyond 
The sun's long progress, where great Atlas bears, 
Laden with golden stars, the glittering spheres." 

First known Discoverers of America. — It is thought Biarne was ac- 
cidentally driven by fierce winds on the coast of Newfoundland, before 
Lief sailed to the West. 

The discovery of America by the Northmen, excites a vast deal of curi- 
osity. And is it not a laudable curiosity that leads one to ascertain what 
white men first trod regions in which the modest wild flower wasted its 
sweetness on the desert air ? 

As Geography is one of the eyes of History, it would be well, at this time, 
to direct the attention to the map of North America, and to those of Massa- 
chusetts and Rhode Island in particular. 

The Royal Society of Northern Antiquarians in Copenhagen, have lately 
published an important work. While the contents of this massive work are 
invaluable, its mechanical execution reflects great honor on the Society that 
published it. 

This work is called, as translated from the Latin, " American Antiquities, 
or Northern Writings of Things in America before the time of Columbus." 
2 



10 A LECTURE ON THE 

The determination was formed some years since, by the Royal Society 
of Antiquarians in Copenhagen, to publish the authorities on which these 
accounts rest, in the original documents, accompained with full commen- 
taries and illustrations. The text is in the Icelandic tongue. 

The inquiry is often made, "Who were the Northmen ?" They were the 
descendants of the Scandinavians, who, it is thought, sprang from theThra 
cians mentioned by Homer — a nation now extinct. The Danes, the Swedes, 
the Norwegians, and the Icelanders, all come under the name of Northmen 
or Norsemen. Their literature has been compared, in extent, to the literary 
remains of Greece and Latium. This opens a new fountain of research, 
where the scholar may often 

" Return and linger, linger and return." 

This great work contains two Icelandic documents, now for i\\e first time 
published accurately, in a complete form, purporting to be histories written 
by or for persons who discovered and visited the North American coast 
early in the eleventh century, confirmed and illustrated by extracts from no 
less than fifteen other original manuscripts, in which the facts set forth in 
these histories are either mentioned or alluded to. The Royal Society 
has already collected two thousand Sagas, or works of Scandinavian or 
Icelandic history. 

In this work, in particular, is found Adam of Bremen's account of the 
discovery of America, comunicated to him in the eleventh century, by Sweyn 
Estrithson, king of Denmark. 

1. Are these documents genuine? 

2. If so, why have they not been heard of before ? 

The work, itself, contains evidences of the antiquity and authenticity of 
the manuscripts, from which the publication has been made, sufficient to 
raise them above any just suspicion. 

These documents, as Professor Rafn says, have been known to Icelandic 
scholars; but these have been so few, comparatively, and the means of 
these few so limited, that they have not been able to give them suitable 
examination, much less to be at the expense of publishing them. 

How long did the ancient classics, for instance, lay concealed in the 
monasteries of Europe, for the want of some one to exhibit them to public 
view? These Icelandic documents may have been hid, in like manner, in 
the libraries of priests. And we may say that the Society of Antiquari- 
ans, in Copenhagen, in bringing these documents to light, resembles the 
conduct of the poet laureate, Petrarch, in the fourteenth century, who, at 
his own expense, had the valuable manuscripts of antiquity dragged from- 
the dust of the cloisters, transcribed, and exhibited to the world. 

Who does not admire the lovely scenery, where the beautiful and sub- 
lime are blended, displayed in the succession of Falls at 'J'renton? Yet 
these were concealed for ages, till a master-spririt revealed them to an 
admiring world. And does not the raven wing of night hide the works of 
art, also, till disclosed in a similar way? The learned of Iceland, though, 
like the generality of poets, poor; yet they were not disposed, like Milton, 
to sell their manuscripts for a paltry sum. 

It is well known the Norwegians have long claimed the honor of dis- 
covering and colonizing America before the time of Columbus. 

Instead of this discovery being a new-fangled theory, as some say, there 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 11 

have been several works published in Europe, upwards of a century, 
which speak of these facts. Wormius speaks of this discovery, in a Latin 
translation, published at the University of Oxford, in or about 1716. In 
Adam of Bremen's account, published 1629, he uses the following striking 
language: "Non fabulosa opinione, sed certa relatione Danorum;" that is, 
in a free translation, " This is not a fabulous opinion, but a true narrative, 
given by the Danes themselves." Dr. Franklin, in a letter to a distin- 
guished antiquary formerly of Switzerland, says, yositively, that the Danes 
came into New-England before the time of Columbus. Dr. Mather pub- 
lished an account, also, of this discovery, in 1772. 

The celebrated Dr. Henderson, who traveled in Iceland, says that the 
fact of this early discovery was well known to the Icelanders — that it was 
authenticated by Northern historians. It is a remarkable fact, that Ice- 
land, where these documents relating to the early discovery were preserv- 
ed, was the Athens of the North, during the Dark Ages. 

During the Middle Ages, the Icelanders were the most intelligent peo- 
ple in the North. Even now, as Henderson says, youth can repeat pas- 
sages from Latin and Greek authors, who have never been but a few miles 
from the place of their birth. Truly, the hardy Icelanders were our li- 
brarians and historians. 

Iceland appears to have been a medium of communication between Nor- 
way and Greenland, — a stepping-stone, as it were, from one continent to 
another. 

Iceland, thought by some to be the "Ultima Thule" of Virgil, was dis- 
covered by the Norwegians in 861. The oppression of king Harold Har- 
faga drove them there for an asylum. 

But the restless spirit of the Northmen would not allow them to be idle. 
They made incursions in every direction, and discovered Greenland in 
984. 

In 986, a colony was begun by Eric the Red. This was at length de- 
stroyed. By the exertions of the Danish Society, the ruins of this settle- 
ment have been discovered. It was located on the West, near Cape Far- 
well. It is seen in the remains of churches and buildings. 

Leif, the son of Eric, commenced a voyage of discovery in the year 
1000. His crew consisted of thirty-five men. Leif was the first to intro- 
duce missionaries into Greenland. 

After sailing for some time south-west, they made land. They anchored 
and went ashore. This place was destitute of grass, and was covered with 
a slaty rock, which they called Helluland. This is supposed to be Labra- 
dor. Fishermen and travelers of the present day give a like description 
of that barren region. 

From thence they sailed southwardly; and, after holding on for some 
time, they again made land and went ashore. This country was level, 
had a low coast, presenting here and there, bluffs of white sand, and was 
thickly covered with wood. This they named Markland or Woodland. 
This is thought to be Nova Scotia. 

Leaving Markland, they sailed south-westerly, with a fair wind, two 
days before seeing land again, when they passed down a promontory, pro- 
bably the east side of Cape Cod, stretching east and north; and then turn- 
ing west between an island, (Martha's Vineyard) and the main land, they 
enlered a bay (Narragansett Bay) through which a river (Taunton Ri- 
ver) flowed, when they came to anchor and went ashore. Resolvnig to 



12 A LECTURE ON THE 

spend the winter here, they called the place Leifsbuthir, or place of booths. 
Here, finding grapes very plenty, they called the place Vinland or Wine- 
land the good. This land, to those coming from the remote North, appear- 
ed as nature in the "world's first spring." 

Early in the season they returned to Greenland. Leif's return became 
the principal subject of conversation. 

The next adventurer was Thorvvold, his brother. And you will observe 
that he and the other navigators gave the same account of places they visit- 
ed. Were not this the case, who could believe any of their reports? 

Thorwold, thinking the country had not been sufficiently explored, set 
sail in 1002, and proceeded to Leifsbuthir, where he lived till 1004. 

In the spring of 1004, he sailed from Leifsbuthir. After passing along 
the shore of the promontory, east and north, they sailed round a sharp 
point of land, called Kjarlanes. This must have been Cape Cod. Kjar- 
lanes implies KecLcape. For Cape Cod, at the extremity, is in shape of 
the keel of ancient vessels, which curved inicard. 

These Northmen were peaceable nnen. They were not like Phseton, 
who would gladly have seized the reins of the chariot of the sun to set the 
world on fire. It must not be denied, however, that the second great nav- 
igator, Thorwold, assailed the natives without cause ; but in using the 
sword he perished by the sword. On receiving a mortal wound, he re- 
quested that after his death, crosses might be placed at either end of his 
grave. 

The Catholic ministers, in giving an account of their first missionary la- 
bors in this country, speak of the custom of the natives in wearing crosses. 
Such must have been introduced by the Northmen Christians. 

I mentioned this circumstance, lately, to the librarian of the American 
Antiquarian Society, Worcester ; and he said that a cross had been sent 
to that institution by a gentleman of Ohio. I saw this emblem of the Chris- 
tian faith. It must have been hid from the light of heaven for centuries. 
This silver cross is about two and a half inches long. It was found on the 
breast of a female skeleton, one which was dug from a mound at Columbus, 
over which a forest of trees had grown. On this cross the capital letters 
I. S. are perfectly visible. And what can these letters imply, but the ini- 
tial of the sacred name, Iesus Salvator? 

Who can doubt, then, that the " Sun of Righteousness" cast his bright 
beams on the land west of the dread Atlantic, long before the time of Co- 
lumbus. 

In 1006, Thorfins or Thorfin commanded one of the three ships that 
came from Iceland to Greenland. He was of royal lineage. 
^ In the spring of 1007, Thorfin, with three ships and one hundred and 
sixty men, besides cattle and all necessary materials for establishing a col- 
ony, set sail for Vinland. 

They sailed to Helluland or Labrador ; from thence to Markland or 
Nova Scotia; and from thence to Kjarlanes, or Cape Cod. Sailing south 
by the east side of the promontory which terminated at Kjarlanes, they 
passed along beaches or trackless deserts of sand. How descriptive of 
this bleak and sterile coast ! 

Those who have sailed from Boston to Narragansett Btiy, are ready to 
say that I am not drawing an ideal picture. 

Continuing their course they arrived at an island. They called it Shan- 
mey. This is supposed to be Martha's Vineyard. Nine men went away 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 13 

in one of the ships and never returned. It is said they were driven on the 
coast of Ireland, where they were seized as slaves. 

In the spring, Thorfin and one hundred and fifty others went to the main 
land. They called the place Hop, the residence afterwards of king Philip. 
Here they found large numbers of skrellings or natives. Thorfin carried 
on a traffic with them, by exchanging bits of colored cloth for furs. In 
consequence of their frequent attacks, in 1009 they returned to Greenland. 
Then, it will be recollected, the Northmen had not the use of fire-arms with 
which to defend themselves against the assaults of the savages. These 
lords of the wilds had a rude kind of engine, by which they hurled large 
stones against their foes ; and it is possible that the white man would never 
have driven the red man from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, but for 
the invention of gunpowder. 

I cannot forbear to speak of the valor of one of this crew of the North- 
men, a female. When all the rest were disposed to flee before the savage 
foe, she exclaimed : " If I only had a weapon, I ween I could fight better 
than any of you." Ah ! when we consider the patriotism of the females 
at the siege of Carthage, who cut their locks to make ropes for engines of 
war ; and when we recollect the courage of Isabella of Castile, who, at the 
conquest of Grenada, though in ill health, led on her veterans to conquest 
and glory, have wenotreason to suppose that this Scandinavian was sincere 
in her declaration ? Truly, valor and benevolence are but parallel streams 
in the female heart. We would not applaud courage, however, unless un- 
der the control of a higher and holier principle. 

Thorfin married Gudrida, the widow of Thorstein, third son of Eric. 
She accompained her husband to Vinland. Snorre, their son, was the first 
white child born in America. From him descended the distinguished asso- 
ciate of Proftessor Rafn, Finn Magnusen. The late great sculptor, Thor- 
waldsen, of Denmark, was of this family. Bishop Thulack Rudolfson, was 
a descendant of Thorfin's, and it is supposed that he wrote or compiled 
these documents. 

A distinguished geologist from Denmark has lately found the remains of 
an Icelandic city in Brazil. lie discovered Runic inscriptions on flag- 
stones. Above all, he found a statue of the Northman god of thunder, 
Thor, with his attributes, the magic girdle and hammer. 

Thorfin, the most distinguished of these, returned to Iceland, where he 
ended his days, living in great splendor. 

The editor of the American Antiquities, Professor Rafn, and his asso, 
ciate. Professor Finn Magnusen, think that Vinland was situated in the 
east part of Rhode Island, and in the South part of Massachusetts, on or 
about Narragansett Bay and Taunton River. 

The points in the Icelandic documents alluding to the locality of Vinland, 
may be reckoned the Geography, Natural History, Astronomical Phenome- 
na, and Vestiges of Residence of Northmen in that place. All of these, in 
the opinion of the editor of the American Antiquities, point to the head of 
Narragansett Bay or Mt. Hope Bay, as the locality of Hop, the central 
part of Vinland. 

As the Royal Society have held correspondence with several learned so- 
cieties in this country for some years, they are well qualified to form a 
judgment on this subject. Dr. Webb, now of Boston, formerly Secretary 
of the Rhode Island Plistorical Society, and J. R. Barllett, Esq., of New- 
York, have been very efficient agents in aiding the Royal Society in pre., 
senting this great work to the world. 



14 



A LECTURE ON THE 



The following letter, from the late General Holstein, Professor in the 
"Albany Female Academy," will show the care taken to acquire informa- 
tion relative to American Antiquities: 

_ "In proof of the great exertions made by the Northern Antiquarian So- 
ciety, in Copenhagen, to acquire a knowledge of Scandinavian Antiquities in 
America, I hereby state that, several years since, a letter of inquiry, scaled 
with the seal of the Society, was sent to a professional gentleman of Ge- 
neva, in this State, a translation of which I made from the Danish tongue." 

The Geography of Vinland. — Concerning the situation of Helluland 
their can be no doubt, as it was the first land south-west of Greenland. 
Where else could this have been, unless the coast of Labrador. 

Markland was situated south-west from Helluland, three days' sail, or 
three hundred and sixty English miles. This is supposed to be Nova 
Scotia. 

The distance of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick agrees with the ac- 
count the Icelanders gave of Markland. 

Vinland was situated two days' sail, or about two hundred and forty En- 
glish miles to the south-west of Markland ; and if Markland has been pro- 
perly located, must be sought in or near the south part of Massachusetts. 

In the Icelandic documents, it is said that Hop, the residence of Thorfin, 
was situated on an elevation of land, near a river which flowed south, 
through a bay into the ocean. From this the land stretched east ; and, 
turning north, formed a promontory, which terminated in a point or cape, 
which they called Kjarlanes. The east side of the promontory was bound 
by long, narrow beaches, or sand hills. To those who, like myself, have 
often viewed the Atlantic from these sand hills, this acccount appears pe- 
culiarly striking. 

The Natural History of Vinland. — Vinland was remarkable for its 
vines, maple trees, maize, and a great variety of wild animals. The waters 
abounded with fish, and were occasionally visited with whales. Birds were 
numerous. The eider duck was seen about the islands in large numbers. 

As to vines, they are said to be numerous even now ; and this is more 
particularly true of the country around Narragansett Bay. And was not 
an island called Martha's Vineyard, on account of the multiplicity of vines 
growing there? 

The celebrated Bishop Berkley, who attempted to establish a theological 
seminary in Rhode Island, says, in his letter to his friends in Europe, that 
vines were as plenty on the island as in Italy. Gosnald, who visited the 
'Elizabeth Isles in 1602, says, that vines were in great profusion there. 

In the documents it is said that, in that region, are the red, sugar and 
bird's-eye maple. The Northmen cut down the trees ; and, after they 
were dry, they loaded their ships with the timber. It is supposed that 
the bird's-e3^e variety was made an article of commerce. 

As to Indian corn or maize, it seems our pilgrim fathers found some in 
what is now called Truro, near the end of the Cape. It was buried in the 
earth to preserve it. 

It is needless to remind the reader of the multiplicity of fish that still 
abound in the waters of this region. The sportsman may, at this day, tell 
his friends, in the language of Capt. Smith, of Jamestown, who described 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 15 

this quarter, " of the pleasure to be derived from angling, and crossing 
the sweet air, from isle to isle, over the silent streams of a calm sea." 

As to whales, I have occasionally seen them spoujing around the sandy 
shores of the Cape. 

In regard to the eider duck, in the Latin translation it is called "anas 
mollissima," a duck with the finest of feathers. The real eider duck of 
Iceland, is, at this day, frequently seen around Martha's Vineyard. Wild 
fowl must have been numerous there, as an island is still called Egg 
Island, from the quantity of eggs they deposited.* 

Thorfin describes the Soil and Climate. — The winters of Vinland 
are said to be remarkably mild, but little snow falling, and cattle subsisting 
out of doors, through the winter. 

This account does not agree with the description of New England win- 
ters at this time. Still, however, it has been the practice of the farmers on 
Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, to let their sheep and cattle lie out 
during the winter. But the cold winters of New England, compared with 
those of Greenland, are as the mildness of spring. They speak, however, 
of a snowy winter. 

But there have been great changes in the face of the earth and in the 
climate, in different ages. Change is the law of nature. Has not one of 
the bright cluster been blotted out from the map of heaven ? Such changes 
also take place on the face of the earth. 

The Dead Sea was, in early times, sixty miles long. It is now only 
thirty. And even old Ontario and Erie have receded from their former 
bounds, leaving to the present generation a rich tract of land, several miles 
wide, and a beautiful ridge-road. Who does not admire the everlasting 
rocks, rising in stern grandeur, on either side of the Mohawk, at the Little 
Falls? Yet, the lovely vale above must once have been the bed of a vast 
lake. This is manifest from the fact, that there are " pot holes" found at 
an elevation of sixty feet above the river, at these falls. 

These circular excavations were made ages since, by the circumvolution 
of stones, driven by the rapid descent of the waters. You can see a demon- 
stration of this fact, by looking at the high falls of Black River or Trenton. 

And what a mighty labor was that, for the waters of this lake to have 
found their wny, gradually, through the high and continuous wall of granite 
where now the Mohawk murmurs as it rolls along its new channel. 

Geological facts prove that it was much warmer, formerly, in the North 
than it is now. 

Large forests once flourished in Lapland. 

It is not to be disputed that, in former ages, Iceland produced timber in 
abundance. Large trees are occasionally found there in the marshes and 
valleys, to a considerable depth in the ground. Segments of the fossil-trees 
have lately been exported, in proof of the alleged fact. 

It is asserted in the ancient Icelandic records, that when Ingulf, the Nor- 
wegian, first landed in Iceland, 879, he found so thick a cluster of birch 
trees that he penetrated them with difficulty. 

Henderson, in his Travels in Iceland, says, that the climate has deterio- 
rated there, from the fact that it was once shaded with forests. 

*Mr. Audubon, whose letter to me is on the second page, says he has seen in Labrador^ 
twenty-seven nests of the eider duck within a very small compass. 



16 A LECTURE ON THE 

When the first Norwegian colony settled in Greenland, about 1000 years 
ago, they found no difficulty from ice in approaching the coast, and a reg- 
ular correspondence was supported by their people for many years. 

Astronomical Phenomena. — The learned Editor and his associate de- 
duce from the astronomical data, lat. 41° 24^ 10", which is the latitude of 
Narraganset Bay, and Mount Hope. There, at the Winter Salstice, De- 
cember 22, the day is nine hours. 

That the Northmen were capable of taking latitudes, is evident from the 
circumstance, that, at that period, they speak of eclipses, which have lately 
been calculated ,by Sir David Brewster and the distinguished Norwegian 
astronomer, Hanstein, and found correct. 

The reading, however, that leads to the above calculation, has been dis- 
puted. The whole controversy turns on the meaning of two words. 
From what we can understand, we presume the Editor is correct in his ex- 
position. 

But suppose we were to reject all history on account of some apparent 
or real discrepancy in narration ? In such a case, some future reader 
might declare that the history of the American Revolution was neither 
credible nor authentic ; for it is said that the distinguished battle of the 17th 
June, 1775, was fought on Bunker's Hill, instead of Breed's. Who does 
not know that Bunker's Hill, rising back of Breed's, is more elevated than 
the latter, on which the monument is rising? (Yes, and by the patriotism 
of the ladies of 1840, now towers to the stars.) 

Little can be said of the Vestiges of the Residence of the North- 
MEN IN this Country. — There is a large rock at the junction of Smith's 
creek with Taunton river, with a singular inscription on it. It was evident- 
ly made with an iron instrument. Passing over the particular remarks of 
theEditor, on these letters, I would give his supposition as to their meaning. 

!=ORFINX W IX XX J 

Thorfins, with one hundred and fifty-one men, took possession of the 
country. 

Professor Rafn has deciphered an inscription on the Paradisic rock of 
Iceland, which, he says, proves beyond doubt the European origin of the 
inscription on this in Massachusetts. 

John R. Bartlett, Esq., copied the inscription. He found the characters 
permanently imbedded in the rock called Gneiss. 

There are similar inscriptions on rocks in the vicinity of Mount Hope 
Bay. 

The people in the north of Europe were fond of making inscriptions on 
rocks on the borders of lakes and rivers; for such are found in Norway, 
Sweden, and Scotland. They are called " Runes." 

One of these inscriptions, found on a rock in Sweden, has been decipher- 
ed by Professor Finn Magnusen. The inscription relates to a battle fought 
about A. D. 680, between the kings of Norway and Sweden. Accounts 
of this battle were given by authentic historians. 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 17 

In a work just issued in Denmark, it is proved that there are several 
other inscriptions found in the neighborhood of Taunton, Hke the one above. 
Also, that the old stone building at Newport, R. I., was erected by the 
Northmen; for it is exactly like the stone houses of Norway, built as bap- 
tisteries. The oldest people of Rhode Island know nothing of the origin 
of that curiously built edifice. 

Tlie light of evidence constantly flowing in from every quarter, confirms 
fully the fact, that the men of the North crossed the Atlantic before the 
day of Columbus. Objections to the theory are now few, and, like angel's 
visits, " far between." 

The Northmen originally used sixteen of these Runic characters. 

Were the Northmen capable of making discoveries, and of recording 
them? The rude children of our forests could not perform a work so 
mighty. 

The Roman historian, Tacitus, spake of the invasion of the people of the 
North before the Christian era. He says of the Cimbri, that they were 
not a small tribe, but mighty in fame ; that the vestiges of their ancient 
glory still remained in their fortifications; that no other nation had so often 
given them cause to dread their arms — not the Carthagenians, or Span- 
iards, or Gauls. 

In later times, the Northmen made incursions upon Germany, France, 
England, the Orkney, Farroe, and Shetland Isles. 

The French were in such fear of the Northmen, that they inserted in 
their Liturgy, " A furore Normanorum, libera nos, O Domine."* 

In the ninth and tenth centuries, the Danes or Northmen invaded Eng- 
land, and seated one of their favorite princes, Canute, on the throne of Al- 
fred. 

They were a daring people — the sea was their home — the mountain 
wave was the scene of their sport — far and wide did they wander, without 
compass to guide. 

Their vessels were built of timber that is now eagerly sought by the first 
maritime nation of the earth. 

A people, some of whose leaders boasted of never having slept by a cot- 
tage fire, became the dread of Christendom. They ruled the waters from 
the Arctic ocean to the Azores — they passed between the pillars of Her- 
cules — they ravaged the coasts of Spain and France — sacked the cities of 
Tuscany — drove the Saracens from Sicily. They desolated the classic 
fields of Greece — penetrated the walls of Constantinople, Yes, in rescuing 
the Holy Sepulchre, they led the van of the chivalry of Europe. Mak 
their valor and their success ; for one hundred Northmen knights, with one 
aid or squire each, drove ten thousand Saracens from Sicily. 

Scott gives a beautiful description of this remarkable people, in speaking 
of the Western Isles : 

" Thither cainc in times afar, 
Stem Lochlin's sons of roving war : 
The Northmen, trained to spoil and blood. 
Skilled to prepare the raven's food ; 
Kings of the main, their leaders brave — 
Their barks, the dragons of the wave." 

* From the rage of the Northmen, g-ood Lord deliver us. 



18 A LECTURE ON THE 

In describing king Harold's ship, it is said : 

" And dragons' heads adorn the prow of gold." 

Seestthou the tiny fleet of some school-boy, launched on an isolated shee^ 
of water ? And such were the greatest armaments of the famous nations 
of antiquity, compared with those of the Northmen. 

The present illustrious queen of England is a direct descendant of the 
Northmen. It will be recollected that RoUo, the Norman, invaded France in 
912, and enthroned himself in the North. In 1066, William of Normandy 
conquered England. These sovereigns were Northmen ; and from their 
family, the pride and glory of Great Britain descended. 

At the beginning of the eleventh century, the Danes and Norwegians 
were converted to Christianity, and thereby received a new impulse, that 
led them to extend the blessings of the Gospel. And who but this people 
could ever have established missions in Greenland? 

What shall we say of the aljllitii of the Northmen to record incidents of 
their voyage? 

In the year 1000, on their conversion to Christianity, they adopted the 
Roman alphabet. This was their Augustan age. The thirst of the Ice- 
landers for learning, is seen in the conduct of Ulfijot, their supreme legisla- 
tor, who, in 925, undertook a voyage to Norway, in his sixtieth year, to ac- 
quire a more perfect knowledge of the legal customs and institutions of the 
parent country. 

In Iceland, the learned were called Skalds and Sagamen. 
The former were poets and historians. Skalds denote "smoothers or 
polishers of language." 

The Sagamen recited in prose, with greater detail, what the Skalds had 
recited in verse. 

By the recitations of the Skalds, the real and traditionary history of the 
country was transmitted from generation to generation. 

Memory is. perhaps, the most impioveable faculty of our nature. De- 
prived of books, it depends upon its own resources. Its strength is seen in 
the following instance : An Icelandic Skald sang sixty difterent lays in one 
evening, before king Plarold Sigurdson; and, being asked if he knew any 
more, declared that these were only the half of what he could sing. 
Their traditionary histories were written down and preserved. 
As poetry is among the antiquities of all nations, the events it records have 
ever been preserved by the recitations of Skalds, Minstrels or Bards. 

And whom does the conqueror of Wales cut off from the land? Does not 
Edward the First, of England, destroy the Minstrels of Wales, lest they 
should, by their recitations, awaken that spirit of liberty in the breasts of 
the vanquished, which would lead them to throw off the yoke of the British 
monarch ? 

These Skalds were distinguished men — the companions of kings. They 
sometimes were kings, as in the instance of Regnar Lodbrok. 

The Sagamen made their recitations in public and private, at convenient 
opportunities. 

If Augustus delighted to have Virgil and Horace on either hand, so the 
Scandinavian monarchs rejoiced to have Skalds and Sagamen in their 
presence. 

At solemn feasts, the services of these men were required. 



DISCOVERY OP AMERICA. 19 

Sgemund, in 1056, collected the different poems relating to the mythology 
and history of the North. The collection was called the "Poetic Edda." 
He was a man of learning, having been educated at the Universities of 
Germany and France. 

He performed for the ancient poems the same office which is said to have 
been done by the ancient Greek rhapsodist who first collected and arranged 
the songs of his predecessors, and reduced them to one continuous poem, 
called Homer's Iliad. 

Snorre Sturslon, judge of Iceland, was the most distinguished scholar of 
his day. His principal work v/as the Prosaic Edda. It treats, in particu- 
lar, of Scandinavian mythology. He lived in 1178. Flis bath still attracts 
the attention of the traveller. The acqueduct of it is five hundred feet long, 
and is composed of hewn stone finely united by cement. The reservoir is 
similarly constructed, and will contain thirty persons. The water was 
supplied from one of their warm springs. 

The general characteristics of the Icelandic tongue are copiousness, en- 
ergy, and flexibility, to an extent that rivals every modern language, and 
which enables it to enter into successful competition with the Greek and 
Latin. 

Were not the Icelanders, then capahle of recording the events incident to 
a voyage of discovery? 

The internal evidences found in these documents are in favor of their au- 
thenticity. 

Besides, there are in existence a series of works from the time when these 
voyages purport to have been made, down to the present time, which have 
been preserved, and which make mention of these discoveries. 

Distinguished men, who have had superior opportunities of ascertaining 
the merits of this question, have come to the conclusion that the descendants 
of the Scandinavians were the discoverers of America, prior to the time of 
Columbus. Among these, are Dr. Forster, Mr. Wheaton, our Minister at 
the Court of Berlin, and Baron Von Humboldt, also of the above city. 

In a work sent from Denmark, are the following important remarks : 
"Alexander Von Humboldt, who of all modern travelers, has thrown the 
greatest light on the physical circumstances, first discovery, and earliest 
history of America, has admitted that the Scandinavian Northmen were the 
true, original discoverers of the New World. He has also remarked, that 
the information which the public as yet possesses of that remarkable epoch 
in the Middle Ages, is extremely scanty ; and he has expressed a wish that 
the Northern Literati would collect and publish all the accounts relating to 
that subject." 

The Society of Northern Antiquarians has complied with his request, in 
publishing to the world the great work I before mentioned. 

Besides Adam of Bremen's account of the discovery of America, this 
great work speaks of Bishop Eric's voyage to Vinland, in 112 L Although 
Thorfin's men were driven away at first by the natives, yet, it is reasonable 
to suppose, that they at length returned and formed colonies in this quarter, 
together with others who visited America, as named in the Icelandic MSS. 

If voyages were made, from time to time, to different parts of America, 
by the Northmen, is it not reasonable to suppose that some parts of our 
country were inhabited by them for a long time, and that Bishop Eric visit- 
ed Vinland to perform Episcopal duties, and that the Northmen left evi- 
dences of their arts, in the antiquities I will briefly name? 



20 A LECTURE ON THE 

How fond is man to linger around naouldering ruins — to fix the eye on 
the mutilated column overgrown with ivy ! But are there not antiquities 
as worthy as those of art? I mean those of our own species. 

I shall make a remark on a human skeleton I saw, not long since, at Fall 
River, in the vicinity of Narragansett Bay. 

I had an extensive view of the region around Mt. Hope, lying on the 
west of Mt. Hope Bay. How accurately is the scenery portrayed in the 
Icelandic documents ! 

A skeleton was dug up, a few years since, in that place. ft had a 
breast. plate or medal hanging from its neck, thirteen inches long, and six 
in width at the top, and five at the bottom. It had, also, an ornament of 
fillet- work around its body, four and a half inches wide. These ornaments 
are made of brass, or, as Dr. Webb says, of bronze. A knowledge of the 
uses of this artifcial metal implies a considerable advance in the arts. 

I witnessed lately, an object of interest in the state of New-York. 

Not long since, a large oak tree, cut down in Lyons, was taken to New- 
ark ; and, on sawing it, there was found, near the centre, the marks of an 
ax. On counting the concentric circles, it was discovered that four hun- 
dred and sixty Iiad been formed since the cutting was'made. 

But the most striking circumstance is, that this large cavity, now visible, 
was made by an edged tool. The rude stone axes of the present race of 
Indians could never have made clefts so smooth as those t saw in the block 
in the hotel at Newark. I have a report of a Historical Society in Ohio, 
discribing a similar cutting made with a metalic ax, about three hundred 
and fifty years ago. 

On further examination, I presume this skeleton, whose head is different 
from that of the natives, was a Northman ; and that the cuttings in this 
tree were made by axes wielded by the descendants of the Northmen. 
For I find that the Icelandic MSS. speak of breast-plates worn by the 
Northmen ; and as to their axes, it is stated that the natives tried them on 
wood, and afterwards on stone ; but the instruments used by the former to 
cut down maple trees, could not withstand the use made of them by the lat- 
ter, upon stone. If it be asked what has become of the Northmen, and where 
are their descendants? we answer: Like the mighty master-builders of the 
splendid cities of Central America, and of the fortifications, mounds, &c. of 
the United States, they have passed into oblivion. Nations seem to vanish 
in a day : — like the 300,000 inhabitants of Moscow, who left the city in- 
stantly on the approach of the mad Corsican. 

There have been discovered beyond latitude 60°, in Greenland, upwards 
of 500 people, resembling those in the north of Europe, probably descen- 
dants of the Northmen. 

An important inquiry arises : Was Columbus aware of the discovery of 
the Northmen? From a letter preserved by his son, it appears he visited 
Iceland in 1477. It is thought by the Danes that he there obtained a know- 
ledge of the discovery of Vinland. Allowing this to be the case, it is sin- 
gular he should never have given any intimation of such knowledge. 

Instead o^ walking through Spain, leading his son by the hand, would he 
not at once have rushed into the presence of the sovereigns, and acquired 
patronage, wealth and honor, by telling them that the obscure Icelanders 
had discovered the region he wished to unfold ? 

His greatest enemies never accused him of having reached the New 
World by information received from Iceland. 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 21 

But, as Columbus was rather artful, he might, from particular motives, 
have concealed this knowledge from the observation of mankind. 

After all, let not the circumstance of this prior discovery, cause, in our 
view, the laurels given to Columbus to wither on his brow. Let us ever 
honor him for his perseverance and his virtues. 

Let not Leif and his associate Northmen deprive him of what the voice 
of nations has awarded, the merit of having given, not to Ferdinand and 
Isabella only, but to successive generations, a New World. 

Iceland though but a speck on the bosom of the Northern ocean, is not 
unworthy of our notice. Though dark to the superficial observer, yet it 
shines with a lustre brighter than the flame rising from its volcano. — It is 
the light of knowledge. That obscure island is remarkable for the atten- 
tion paid to learning. Even many among the common class pursue the 
higher branches of study. Their long nights are enlivened by the custom 
o^ every member of the family gathering around the bright lamp, while one 
reads for the amusement and instruction of all. 

The sources of happiness are not, like those of mighty rivers, hid from the 
view of most people. They are accessible to all. The Icelanders, living 
in a remote island, and cut off from the privileges that milder climates pre- 
sent, are naturally led to look for happiness in the pursuit of knowledge. 

If the celebrated Pliny could say his books were sovereign consolers of 
sorrow, cannot the Icelander also declare that, when mountain waves lash 
the shores he can find pleasure in the pursuit of those studies that mend 
the heart and enlighten the mind ? Ah, yes ! fondness for books will create 
an artificial summer in the depths of the most gloomy season. 

The sunny Italy may boast of the beauteous tints that flush her skies ; 
but after all, her effeminate inhabitants may be destitute of that happiness 
enjoyed by those who live where winter reigns uncontrolled most of the 
year. 

The benevolence of Deity is seen in the contentedness felt by those who 
live in the higher latitudes, where, as a writer said of countries north of 
the Alps, Nature seems to have acted the part of a step-mother. 

What a contrast between the condition of the Icelanders and that of their 
forefathers ! They were the worshippers of the god Wodin. And what 
were his attributes ? He was styled the Father of Carnage ! His greatest 
favorites were such as destroyed most of their fellow creatures in the field 
of battle. 

But the Prince of Peace has broken the sceptre of the Father of Car- 
nage. 

The benign influence of His Gospel is seen in all the departments of 
Government. Observe its effects as seen in the difference between the 
feelings of Lodbrok, a Northman king and Scald, and those evinced by one 
who was so successful of late in settling our border diflicultics. 

Lodbrok, in his death-song, says : "Eight earls graced my Dwina's 
mouths. The crimson sweat of death poured on the sullen sea." Yes, he 
exulted in seeing his laurels dyed in the blood of his fellow-creatures. 

But " peacemakers" in Europe and America gaze in rapture on those of 
the great PACIFICATOR, while verdant under the sun of peace. 

Let me ask, what would have been the consequences, had.Scott " let slip 
the dogs of war" ? Cities in flames, desolated fields, the wail of the widow, 
and the orphan's cry ! 



22 A LECTURE, &C. 

Who would not award to sucli a hero, rather than to Augustus Csesar, a 
place among the stars? (See Gcorgica, B. I. 34.) 

Such is the influence of Christianity, where the Northmen found those 
who heard the Great Spirit in the thunder. 

This, as Cicero said of Rome, is the glory of all lands. 

" Wisdom and knowledge are the stahility of our times." All classes 
become sensible that knowledge is the guardian of property. In every 
place they eagerly seek after that wisdom which, as Isocrates says, is the 
only imperishable treasure. Who can stay the progress of knowledge ? 
You might as well think of erecting a tower whence you could grasp the 
Pleiades, as to attempt to oppose the march of mind. To swell the tide of 
improvement, it is pleasing to reflect that men of the first talents are en- 
gaged ; and'that, through the medium of those lectures, which, if they are 
not the fountains of knowledge, are important guides to them. 

A word in praise of the Scandinavians. Like the patriarch, they went 
in search of a region, they knew not where. We praise them for their 
courage, we applaud them for their zeal, we respect them for their motives ; 
for they were anxious to enlarge the boundaries of knowledge. They 
reached the wished-for land, 

" Where now the western sun 
O'er fields and floods, o'er every living soul. 
Diffuse th glad repose." 

The Scandinavians have (Opened to view a broad region, where smiling 
Hope invites successive generations from the Old World. 

Such men as a Caesar or a Tamerlane conquer but to devastate countries. 
Discoverers add new regions of fertility and beauty to those already known. 
And are not the hardy adventurers, ploughing the briny wave, more attrac- 
tive than the troops of Alexander marching to conquer the world, with 
plumes waving in the gentle breeze, whh arms glittering in the sunbeams? 
Who can tell the benefits the former confer on mankind ? 

" To count them all demands a thousand tongues, 
A throat of brass, and adamantine lungs." 



APPEND I.X. 



1 HAVE seen some of the remarkable antiquities Mr. Nomian brought from Yucatan, as 
Penates, Hieroglyphics on fine lime-stone, pieces of the lintels made of the Zuporte wood. 
He kindly gave me a specimen of this wood, which is hard, fine and heavy, and as lasting 
as time. Beautiful were the architecture and paintings he saw. The latter was in fres- 
co, and as fresh, apparently, as if recently executed. 

Mr. N. thinks the cities of the South are of very remote origin. 

In relation to the Northmen, it appears to be generally admitted, that they were the 
first known discoverers of the Western Continent. 

The late Noah Webster, Esq., told me he examined the subject forty years since, and 
came to the above conclusion. 

W. H. Prescott, LL. D., advances the same opinion in his late splendid work on 
Mexico. 

Bishop Hawks, now of St. Louis, has written a valuable little work on " Lost Green- 
land," in which he speaks of 17 Bishops who successively presided in that country. The 
colony suddenly disappeared in or near 1614. The present colony was established in 
1721. 

Capt. Williams, of Boston, a Dane, told me he saw the governor of Greenland, an old 
schoolmate of his, who showed him a book published in Greenland, giving an account of 
these discoveries. It had a map of Cape Cod and Boston harbor. Capt. W. has examin- 
ed the mound at St. Louis, and says it resembles those in Denmark. He thinks the for- 
tifications West were erected by the Northmen. 

It is not unreasonable to suppose that such fortifications as those on Rock River, Wis- 
consin, were the strong holds of valiant chiefs of the North, in olden times — that on this 
continent bold knights once sallied forth as from Feudal castles, with lance and spear, in 
defence of" injured lady love." I have a piece of fine burnt brick from the mins of this 
fortification at Aztland, Wisconsin. 

There is a paper in President Galatin's Ethnological Report, from Mr. Schoolcraft, that 
describes a stone found in a mound, V/estern Virginia, which has Eastern characters on 
it. 

We presume the Mexicans came at an early period from the North ; while the Central 
Americans came from the East. Baron Von Humboldt says the Mexicans had traditions 
concerning the deluge, and he thinks they originally came from Aztland, about forty- 
two degrees north latitude. Mr. Atwater says the fortifications in the West, are similar, 
facing the east, to those in Mexico. 

As to the red men, clouds of obscurity conceal their origin. Mr. Schoolcraft, late In- 
dian Agent, thinks they are of Asiatic origin. Many suppose they are the descendants 
of the Israelites. Vague are their own traditions as to their origin. Some Indians say 
they came from the East ; some from the West ; some from the North, and some from 
the South. Some think they came from beneath the earth — others suppose they came 
from the skies. 

While the nations of the earth are reposing in the shade of the Olive Branch, this auspi- 
cious time of peace enables all classes to engage in those studies that tend to soften the 
mind and refine the life. 

The study of Antiquities is becoming prominent in both continents. Even the crowned 

heads of Europe are paying great attention to antiquarian researches. As the Czar the 

King of Prussia— Her Majesty of England— the Danes— the French, and o/hers of that 
quarter of the globe are doing much to unfold the history of remote periods. , 

And that spirit of inquiry which awoke perhaps in the East, folds not its wings in apathy 
on crossing the Atlantic ; for here its developments astonish both hemispheres. Who can 
limit the vigilant eye of the antiquarian in its future discoveries. 



